Governor Ademola Adeleke’s visit to President Bola Tinubu was more than a ceremonial presentation of his Osun re-election certificate. Coming just days after a closely fought election, the meeting offered an early picture of how Adeleke plans to approach his second term and his relationship with the federal government. Adeleke visited the Presidential Villa on…
Afrobeats star Davido has raised fresh controversy around the Osun governorship election after claiming he was reliably informed that soldiers were attempting to prevent him from entering the state ahead of Saturday’s vote. The singer, whose real name is David Adeleke and whose uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election, said every Nigerian has the…
Voting is underway across Osun State today as residents choose their next governor, but the election is already being defined by two very different images: large crowds waiting to vote and reports of arrests and disruptions at polling locations. Police have already arrested a serving lawmaker and 146 suspected thugs over alleged election-related offences, while…
Osun State goes to the polls on Saturday, August 15, for a governorship election that has become increasingly defined by security concerns. The killing of Dele Ayegbo, nephew of APC campaign Director-General Wole Oke, in Esa-Oke has intensified fears just days before voting, with the APC alleging political involvement in the attack. Those allegations have…
A bullet-riddled campaign vehicle belonging to the Osun APC governorship campaign has become the latest flashpoint in an increasingly tense election, with claims that the vehicle was targeted in an assassination attempt against APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji’s convoy. Videos circulating online show several apparent bullet impacts concentrated along one side of the vehicle. However, the…
Two very different political moments in Nasarawa and Bauchi are raising the same uncomfortable question ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections: what happens when political competition becomes more about money and weakened institutions than the quality of leadership? A video circulating online shows Hajiya Maryam Wadada, wife of APC Nasarawa governorship candidate Senator Ahmed Wadada, distributing…
A young Nigerian man’s declaration that he would vote for President Bola Tinubu simply because they are both Yoruba has reignited one of Nigeria’s most uncomfortable political debates: how much should ethnicity influence the way Nigerians choose their leaders? In the viral video, the man acknowledges that Peter Obi could perform well as president but…
With the Osun governorship election only days away, vote-buying has emerged as one of the biggest threats to the credibility of the August 15 poll. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political actors against buying votes, while civil society groups have identified 13 local government areas as high-risk areas. Security agencies are also…
President Bola Tinubu’s decision to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court and seek the lifting of its freeze on Osun State government accounts has transformed a financial investigation into a much bigger political and institutional debate. The EFCC had obtained a court order freezing the account amid an investigation…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen an Osun State Government bank account over what it says are suspicious transfers linked to an investigation into the alleged diversion of about ₦11 billion in public funds. The investigation, which began in March, covers funds including ecology money, intervention funds and FAAC allocations. But the…
